PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 23, 2026

CVB Contact: Alana Cooper
Phone: 318.387.5691
E-mail: acooper@monroe-westmonroe.org

Downtown West Monroe’s Annual Spring Event Receives 2026 Louey Tourism Award

LAFAYETTE, La. ― The Louisiana Travel Association (LTA) awarded Downtown West Monroe and the City of West Monroe the 2026 Louey Tourism Award for its annual Ouachita RiverFest, featuring the World’s Largest Rubber Duck Thursday night.

Discover Monroe-West Monroe staff members and officials from the City of West Monroe traveled to Lafayette for the LTA Annual Meeting, held at the City Club at River Ranch. The annual spring event won in the category of Festival/Event of the Year.

The association evaluated the event by its growth, special promotional efforts, local economy boost and community involvement. The festival is a celebration in Downtown West Monroe with live music, art vendors and makers, live duck races, a rubber duck drop in the Ouachita River, and a large rubber Mama Duck that’s as tall as a six-story building.

The premiere festival began in 2023 and is held annually during the month of April. The festival helps generate business for the dozens of small businesses located in downtown West Monroe as well as increase tourism to the Ouachita Parish area, drawing people from across Louisiana and multiple states.


About Discover Monroe-West Monroe

Discover Monroe-West Monroe promotes Ouachita Parish as a destination for leisure travel, conventions, meetings and sporting events, creating a positive economic impact for our local community through increased visitor spending and sales tax collections. For more information about Discover Monroe-West Monroe, visit https://www.monroe-westmonroe.org/.